1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibratory flowmeter, and more particularly, to meter electronics and methods for generating a drive signal for a vibratory flowmeter.
2. Statement of the Problem
Vibrating conduit sensors, such as Coriolis mass flow meters and vibrating densitometers, typically operate by detecting motion of a vibrating conduit that contains a flowing material. Properties associated with the material in the conduit, such as mass flow, density and the like, can be determined by processing measurement signals received from motion transducers associated with the conduit. The vibration modes of the vibrating material-filled system generally are affected by the combined mass, stiffness, and damping characteristics of the containing conduit and the material contained therein.
A typical Coriolis mass flow meter includes one or more conduits that are connected inline in a pipeline or other transport system and convey material, e.g., fluids, slurries and the like, in the system. Each conduit may be viewed as having a set of natural vibration modes including, for example, simple bending, torsional, radial, and coupled modes. In a typical Coriolis mass flow measurement application, a conduit is excited in one or more vibration modes as a material flows through the conduit, and motion of the conduit is measured at points spaced along the conduit. Excitation is typically provided by an actuator, e.g., an electromechanical device, such as a voice coil-type driver, that perturbs the conduit in a periodic fashion. Mass flow rate may be determined by measuring time delay or phase differences between motions at the transducer locations. Two such transducers (or pickoff sensors) are typically employed in order to measure a vibrational response of the flow conduit or conduits, and are typically located at positions upstream and downstream of the actuator. The two pickoff sensors are connected to electronic instrumentation by cabling. The instrumentation receives signals from the two pickoff sensors and processes the signals in order to derive a mass flow rate measurement.
In addition to generating flow measurements, a flowmeter's electronics must also generate a drive signal. The drive signal should optimally drive the vibration of the flowmeter at or near a frequency that enables accurate flow characteristics measurements. In addition, the drive signal should enable fast and reliable startup of the vibration. Furthermore, the drive signal should enable accurate and timely diagnostic operations of the flowmeter.